OIM is a
Messianic educational ministry,
which has been commissioned to
reach, teach, encourage, and
disciple those within the
Commonwealth of Israel to return wholly to
Him in spirit, soul, and body in the work of
advancing His Kingdom until the
Messianic restoration of all things.

MARCH 2015

The first green shoots
of spring are beginning to struggle through the brown tundra of hibernating
turf. Once again, through the mere emergence of renewed verdant life in nature,
the faithful are reminded of resurrection and life beyond the confines of death.
But premature death from the hand of those who want to destroy the children of
the Creator God is something that should never be forgotten.
After all, the curse of fratricide from Cain’s murder of Abel has plagued human
civilization from the second generation cast out of Eden,
until this very present danger.

For the followers of the God
of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—including the Messianic Jewish community of faith—a
recollection of the recurrent attempts of the accuser of the brethren, through
human instruments to destroy the children of God, occurs with the Purim celebration this
month, and is doubly reinforced by the Passover remembrance early next month.
For a multitude of reasons, the Holy One of Israel uses these annual gatherings
to help His faithful followers recall the incessant dangers of a world system
that is hell-bent on destroying anything and anyone which displays fealty to the
God of Israel and Israel’s Messiah. History is replete with examples of ancient
peoples, like the Amalekites, Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians,
Seleucid Greeks, and Romans, who desiredto eliminate Israel
and the Jewish people. Praise the Lord for the frequent sobering reminders!
Without them, the human inclination is to put down any guards, armor, or shields
for protection, and be susceptible to the schemes and flaming arrows of the
Devil (Ephesians 6:11, 16).

With this in mind, current
events on the world stage once again remind all who are paying attention that
anti-Semitism is metastasizing at an alarming rate. It is accentuated by the
blatant cry of a modern-day Persian or Iranian regime which calls for the
destruction of the State of Israel and the Jewish people, who have been
perversely labeled “the Little Satan.” But according to the spoken and written
Iranian mullah’s plans, if this goal is achieved, then the next group to be
annihilated is “the Great Satan,” the United States of America. While most
irreligious people blame “religion” for what is obviously an ancient spiritual
battle taking place among human vessels, the people of the One True God of
Heaven and Earth found in the Tanakh and Apostolic Scriptures, must not be
lulled to sleep by the plethora of digitally generated distractions which are
competing for our thought time. Hence, I was compelled to write this month’s
lead article, entitled,
“All
In: Remember, We Won, Let’s Eat!” as a
serious reminder that God’s people are His hope for this current lost and
perverted generation.

Hopefully, some of what is
conveyed will prompt many to take their responsibility, as a child of God to
increase their personal commitment to Him and His ways (“go all in”), in order
to be a light to the world at large (Isaiah 49:6). In so doing, it is my prayer
that in these troubling times, as we approach the End of the Age, many will
indeed become like the shining lights, who lead many to righteousness, as
foreseen and recorded by Daniel in some of the closing statements of his
prophecy:

“Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse
of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever
and ever” (Daniel
12:3).

Finally,
please remember that Outreach Israel Ministries and TNN Online are dedicated to
serving the Lord in our capacity to reach, teach, encourage, and disciple
today’s Messianic people with our many written resources. Your faithful
contributions to the Theological Defense Trust and the
Prison Ministry Free Book Fund help us
achieve our many goals, to continue providing these life-changing materials that
are being used by the Lord to advance His Kingdom on Earth, until the Messianic
restoration of all things. Thank you for your financial and prayerful support of
our efforts.

“May the
Lord
bless you, and keep you; the Lord
make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; the Lord
lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace”
(Numbers
6:24-26).

Chag Sameach and Shalom,

Mark Huey

Our Facebook like group has
updates and posts
that are
not sent out to the normal
e-mail list.

Over the past ten weeks, at my
local Messianic congregation, I
have sat through the new members
class conducted by Mark Huey as
an observer. (I gave a guest
lecture on kosher.) There are
quite a few non-Jewish
Believers, who needed help and
guidance on Torah-related
issues. Yet, what is shocking,
is how many of the Jewish
Believers needed the same!

Between seventy to eighty
percent of Jewish people in
North America are nominally
religious. Many of today's
Messianic Jews came to faith in
evangelical Christian settings,
and later joined a Messianic
congregation--perhaps for
cultural reasons to reconnect
with their heritage, to prevent
intermarriage and assimilation,
or some other reason. While in
our ministry activities, we
might interact--by demographic
numbers--with non-Jewish
Believers more, Jewish Believers
often need the same materials
and resources we have produced
as well!

Are people who teach the Holy
Scriptures ever allowed to
change or alter their positions?
We should hope so! I know that
when I attended seminary from
2005-2009, that I had to alter a
great deal of the simplistic
thinking and reasoning that I
picked up in my Messianic
experience of 1995-2004. And,
this is certainly reflected in
our materials and on the TNN
website of 2015--especially
given the massive work we
conducted in 2012, of seeing all
our publications produced in
paperback and eBook.

So, is it fair for people to
quote to you 2002 and 2003
editions of materials by J.K.
McKee--perhaps reproduced
(unauthorized) on someone else's
website--rather than coming
directly to the author or
teacher himself?

On occasion, one will hear
claims that the Messianic
movement and its emphasis on
"Torah," is a means by which
many people have denied the
faith in Israel's Messiah and
committed apostasy. At the same
time, while some have indeed
left Messiah faith--how many
have left a true, Biblical Jesus
in Christianity, who will not
hold people accountable to a
code of conduct? What does it
profit someone to recognize
Yeshua as a titular Messiah, but
who will not require sinners to
change their behavior?

In tonight's Wednesday Night
Bible study podcast, we will be
addressing a rather interesting
part of Paul's letter,
specifically as he is displeased
at how various Corinthians have
used his name as a means of
claiming importance. Paul did
not actually fit some of their
expectations. He actually uses
what many consider to be ironic
rebuke, to demonstrate what some
of their own spiritual
inefficiencies are.

In 1 Corinthians 6:12, Paul says
what is properly translated
along the lines of "Everything
is permissible for me" (NIV).
Too many see this as a
reflection of Paul's personal
philosophy. Many theologians
instead see it as a Corinthian
slogan which he, at best, is
cross-examining, but more likely
is refuting--especially given
the conclusions that many in
the audience have come
to.

A passage like 1 Corinthians
6:12 is the reason why we are
having our 1 Corinthians Bible
study. Too many of today's
Messianic people get caught
unaware by a verse like this,
not quite knowing what to do.

Last week, I finished the last
chapter of Part I, "The
Significance of Shabbat," in the
massive Messianic Sabbath
Helper project. I will now
be transitioning to working on
Part II, "A Theology of
Shabbat." This section will be
addressing a wide variety of
Bible passages, in both the
Tanach and Apostolic Scriptures,
involving the seventh-day
Sabbath, its relevance, and its
significance for God's people
today:

There is little doubting the
fact that with sectors of the
Messianic movement, which
strongly identify as being
"Torah observant," there is a
problem with legalism and
rigidity. More need to
consciously employ a sense of
grace, mercy, and forbearance
toward others.

Outside the Messianic community,
in Western Christianity--aside
from some primitive
fundamentalism--are we really
likely to encounter "legalism"?
Or, are we more likely to
encounter a latitudiarianism
bordering on lawlessness? For
far too many of our Christian
brothers and sisters, the Old
Testament Law is a relic of the
distant past, with no relevance
on the present.

This evening's Wednesday Night
Bible Study podcast will be
addressing 1 Corinthians
3:14-23. In this passage, one
witnesses Paul's key words about
Believers' being a Temple of the
Holy Spirit. Many have taken
this passage and applied it to
their individual selves and
their conduct. Few are aware of
how many commentators have been
opposed to this approach, and
instead how Believers
corporately compose God's
Temple.

How can a viewpoint of
Believers, all together,
composing the Temple of God,
change things? Is it not vastly
overlooked, how each individual
needs to take responsibility for
what goes on in the greater Body
of Messiah?

Have any of you noticed a
connection between work, and
blessing others when cursed? 1
Corinthians 4:12 says, "and
we labor, working with our own
hands. When reviled, we bless;
when persecuted, we endure"(RSV).

It is true that in the context
of First Century Corinth, that a
figure like Paul did not fit the
stereotype of a philosopher, who
would never perform manual
labor. Yet there is an
inherently practical component
to Paul's word as well: working
can get your mind off of the
problems and injustices you
face.

I know that I have rightly
avoided many conflicts, because
I have just had to say, "I have
too much work to do."

I am spending the better part of
2015 working on the thorough
resource, Messianic Sabbath
Helper. Throughout a great
deal of the Messianic movement,
it is falsely believed that the
Emperor Constantine changed the
Sabbath to Sunday in the Fourth
Century; he did not. The Emperor
Constantine enforced Sunday as a
religious day for all in his
realm. Many Christians had
already believed, as early as
the Second Century, that the
Sabbath had been abolished! They
did so, albeit very wrongly,
with the intention of trying to
establish an identity
independent from Judaism.

A series of good discussions,
given the renewal of the Sabbath
as an issue many are
investigating, is seen in the
2011 resource, Perspectives
on the Sabbath: Four Views.

In this evening's Wednesday
Night Bible Study, we will be
addressing 1 Corinthians 3:1-13,
and will be continuing to probe
how infantile many of the
Corinthians had become. Of
course, how many of these verses
have we encountered without
reading them as correspondence
to an audience in need of help?
How much has been overlooked,
given the complexities of First
Century Corinth? How much of
this section will be necessary
to review, for the sterner
information that will follow?

There are a huge amount of
debates over the exact nature of
Yeshua's Last Supper, and the
timing of the events leading to
His crucifixion and
resurrection. Some of these
discussions are important, but
some of these discussions can
get us taken off of the
significance of the events for
our salvation.

Today's featured article, "The
Last Sedar and Yeshua's Passover
Chronology," takes you through
what all four Gospels
communicate about Yeshua's Last
Supper meal, His execution, and
His being raised from the dead.
While laying out the pros and
cons of the different views, a
Thursday crucifixion followed by
a Saturday evening resurrection,
is the view defended.

This past week, I learned that a
person who played an ancillary
role in my theological
education, recently endorsed
homosexual marriage. I was
hardly surprised that somebody I
went to school with finally did
this. But, the real tragedy is
that anything the Torah or Law
says about this is
meaningless--because it is
believed that Christ totally
abolished it.

Even though today's Messianic
community still has a ways to
go, to be positioned for the
future restoration of Israel and
salvation history future--why is
the gay issue, the issue
that is dividing people? Romans
ch. 1 reflects a common Second
Temple Jewish view of fallen
humanity: rejection of the One
True God leads to sexual
debauchery. Today's West does
not have idolatry in the classic
sense of the Ancient Near East
or Greco-Roman Mediterranean.
So, has God had to use another
means to get our attention?

Today, our featured publication
is the commentary
Philippians for the Practical
Messianic. Philippians
is my (JKM's) favorite book of
the Bible. When we consider this
letter, we get a real look at
Paul when he is at his best--and
when circumstances regarding a
local community of Messiah
followers are not
overly-negative.

Still, Philippians has many key
points to teach us as Messianic
Believers. The deepness of what
is often called the Carmen
Christi hymn of Philippians
2:5-11 will keep us occupied
enough! This is a letter where
one undeniably sees Yeshua the
Messiah and what He has
accomplished as being quite
central to a life of faith and
trust. Philippians is enriching,
but also spiritually and
ideologically challenging in
many places.

In tonight's study of 1
Corinthians 2:7-16 we will be
encountering the theme of "the
mind of Messiah." How did Yeshua
the Messiah think and act? How
different was Yeshua's style of
ministry and service, compared
to others in the First Century?

We hear much in the Messianic
movement about the "Hebrew
mindset" versus the "Greek
mindset." This seldom ever
includes any examinations or
quotations from Jewish or
classical literature. This 1
Corinthians study is, actually,
referencing Jewish and classical
literature--and as we have seen,
the good news of Israel's
Messiah will subvert all
human ideologies and
philosophies.The
wisdom of God is foolishness to
the world, because it forces men
and women to be completely
reliant upon Him for any meaning
of true worth.

Many of you have been looking
for a good, Messianic Bible
version to use in your reading
and studies, and have been
unable to find it. The Complete
Jewish Bible, by David Stern,
while a mainstay, is often too
paraphrased for people. This
often leaves people sticking
with their standard Jewish or
Christian versions, or turning
to an interesting cadre of
Sacred Name Bibles that have
altered the public domain KJV.

This past week I completed the
fifth and final section for the
five-chapter mini-book,Shabbat:
Sabbath for Messianic Believers,
a planned excerpt from the much
larger Messianic
Sabbath Helper,
due out later in 2015. This
publication will fill a major
gap, as we have not had a
resource available on
Shabbat since we started
our paperback printing project
in 2009.

Shabbat: Sabbath for
Messianic Believers, should
be available sometime subsequent
to Passover.